Armed robberies up by 200%, road fatalities by 250% – Berbice Commander

There has been a reduction in serious crime in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) for the first four months of the year compared with the first four months last year but a massive increase in robberies and accidents.
This is according to Commander Boodnarine Persaud.
Despite the overall reduction in serious crime, there has been a 200 per cent increase in armed robberies.
For the first four months of the year, there were 12 instances of armed robberies compared with 4 for the same period last year – representing a 200 per cent increase.

According to Commander Boodnarine Persaud, there was a two-month period when robberies in the region stood at zero.
“For the entire March and April, we have seen a quiet period and during that period we have several drug eradications exercises and we made several raids and we were able to take six firearms off of the road; five small arms and one shotgun.”
The Commander said illegal drug cultivation fields with a street value of in excess of $500 million were destroyed during the first four months of the year.
So far for the year, there were four murders.
The suspects in the first three have all been arrested and charged while the suspect for the fourth is currently in Police custody and is expected to be charged shortly.
“As I am speaking there is a report that someone joined a motor car to go and do business; a money changer, and he reported that somewhere at Number 19 (East Coast Berbice) he was stuck up by the same person who he was supposed to be changing the money for and robbed $1.5 million.”
The Commander said if persons are going to do business with someone and the person is coming with their own vehicle they should be acquainted with that person.
“That is the first robbery after months,” Commander Persaud added.
Of concern to the department, the Commander pointed out, is noise nuisance and they are receiving frequent reports of same.
He pointed out that there is some difficulty in prosecuting persons for that offence since it requires a complainant.
“Because to establish noise nuisance, one must make loud and continuous noise to the annoyance of someone whose name should be mentioned on the jacket and persons most time want to be anonymous. Sometimes we are fortunate to go and meet the music playing,” he explained.
Meanwhile, as it relates to traffic, there is a 250 per cent increase in road deaths when compared with the first four months of last year. So far this year, there have been five road deaths in the region compared with one for the corresponding period last year.
“These accidents occurred after the curfew would have been lifted, but we did some work and we were gifted with some additional vehicles and we were able to have more patrols. Some of the things we have been doing is that we have intel vehicles so persons might say that we are not working but we do have vehicles out there and we are able to keep the crime rate down by identifying some of the known characters and the movements of persons who are suspected of committing criminal acts,” the Commander explained. (G4)